Craig Valentine at MIP Conference
Closing your speech with impact can open up the doors of opportunities because what you say last determines how your audience members feel once they walk out of the doors and go back to their lives. You can give a wonderful speech but if the ending is weak, your audience will walk away feeling like the speech wasn’t very strong. So here are 4 tools you can use to strengthen your closing and henceforth your speech.
Signal
Before you close your speech, you should signal that you are closing. Tell the audience that the end is near. Be more creative than saying, “In conclusion” or “In summary” or something to that effect.
I like to use picture words such as “Let’s wrap this message up” or “As we come to the end” or “I’ll leave you with this…” Whatever you do, let them know you are closing because here’s what will happen:
They’ll listen again!
That’s right. People have been trained to know that your closing means you are most likely going to reiterate your message and so their antennas go up and they often begin to take notes.
Call back
As you move into your closing, make sure you call back to each of the major points you made. For example, listen to this quick wrap-up of one of my new keynotes. Listen for the 3 Ls (my main points) as well as how I let them know the speech is coming to a close.
[audio:https://craigvalentine.com/wp-content/uploads/Signal.mp3|titles=Signal]Important Point: You can either call back first or signal first depending on what makes better sense for the flow of your speech. In this case, you heard me call back first and then signal that I’m closing.
You just heard me call back to my main points. However, there is also another very important way to review your message. Have them say it! I blogged about this before, so click this link for details on how to get your audience to say your message.
Questions and Answers (Q & A)
You have probably heard me say, “Never end with the Q & A.” Why? It’s because people remember best what they hear first and what they hear last. Your message needs to be the absolute last thing in their ears. Therefore, it’s okay to have a Q & A, but just don’t end with it. Have it about 90% of the way through your speech. Listen to this quick audio of what happened to me when I didn’t heed this advice and I closed with the Q & A.
[audio:https://craigvalentine.com/wp-content/uploads/Questions1.mp3|titles=Questions]
Lasting Anchor
Finally, once you’ve signaled that you’re closing, called back to your major points, and held a Q & A if appropriate, it’s time to move into your lasting anchor, which will most likely be a story. However, just like you should have be doing throughout your entire speech as you transition from one point to the next, it’s extremely important to tease them before you tell them.
They’re probably wondering, “I already have got the message so why should I listen to this last piece?”
Your answer is the tease. Tease them to let them know what’s in it for them to stick around mentally for this last piece. Listen to how I tease and then go into my final story. This is for my 4 Rs to Remarkable Results In Leadership message.
[audio:https://craigvalentine.com/wp-content/uploads/Tease.mp3|titles=Tease]
Once you tease them before you tell them, go ahead and give them a powerful closing story that provides them with hope and proof that your message will work for them. In doing so, you will close your speech in a way that opens doors for more engagements.
- 2 Irresistible Hooks to Keep Your Audience Engaged and Excited - May 9, 2023
- 20 Ways to Destroy Your Speeches - April 28, 2023
- One Surefire Way to Create Magical Moments In Your Speech - April 20, 2023
